Today is the 71st day of 2016 and the 81st day of winter.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1861, delegates from seven states adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.
In 1888, the "Great Blizzard of '88" struck the Northeastern United States, killing more than 400 people.
In 2004, 191 people were killed when terrorist bombs exploded on rush hour commuter trains in Madrid.
In 2011, a magnitude 9.03 undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck Japan, killing nearly 16,000 people and causing meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Lawrence Welk (1903-1992), bandleader; Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990), civil rights leader; Rupert Murdoch (1931- ), business leader; Sam Donaldson (1934- ), TV journalist; Antonin Scalia (1936-2016), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Douglas Adams (1952-2001), author; Peter Berg (1962- ), actor/filmmaker; Alex Kingston (1963- ), actress; Terrence Howard (1969- ), actor; Johnny Knoxville (1971- ), actor; Anton Yelchin (1989- ), actor.
TODAY'S FACT: According to Forbes, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch's net worth is $11.4 billion in 2016.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, Randy Holt of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings was penalized nine times for a record total of 67 minutes.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Life is too short to pursue every human act to its most remote consequences; "for want of a nail, a kingdom was lost" is a commentary on fate, not the statement of a major cause of action against a blacksmith." -- Antonin Scalia
TODAY'S NUMBER: 44 -- countries that received the $50 billion in funds and military goods made available under the Lend-Lease Act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on this day in 1941.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (March 8) and first quarter moon (March 15).